Instellar grains within interstellar grains

The discovery of crystals of titanium carbide in an interstellar graphite spherule is reported. The new species is particularly interesting in that it came in a protective wrapping (the graphite spherule) which eliminated the possibility of chemical alteration during its residence in the interstellar medium and in the meteorite in which it was discovered

SIMS chemical analysis of extended impact features from the trailing edge portion of experiment AO187-2

One hundred capture cells from the trailing edge, which had lost their cover foils during flight, were optically scanned for extended impact features caused by high velocity projectiles impinging on the cells while the foils were still intact. Of the 53 candidates, 24 impacts were analyzed by secondary ion mass spectroscopy for the chemical composition of the deposits. Projectile material was found in all impacts, and at least 75 percent of them appear to be caused by interplanetary dust particles. Elemental ratios are fractionated, with refractory elements enriched in the impacts relative to interplanetary dust particles collected in the stratosphere. Although this could be due to systematic differences in the compositions, a more likely explanation is volatility fractionation during the impact process

Iron and Nickel Isotopic Ratios in Presolar SiC Grains

We report the first Fe isotopic anomalies and the first Ni isotopic ratio measurements in presolar SiC grains of separate KJG from the Murchison meteorite. With NanoSIMS, we analyzed Fe and Ni in 37 X grains from Type II supernovae and 53 SiC grains of other types. The Ni/Fe and Co/Fe ratios in grains of all types are much higher than in the gas from which the grains are believed to have condensed. A majority of the X grains and a couple of mainstream grains contain Fe-rich subgrains. Most X grains have large excesses in 57Fe,61Ni, and 62Ni.60Ni excesses are small and the 54Fe/56Fe ratios of almost all X grains are normal. These isotopic compositions are best explained by mixing of material from the He/N zone of Type II supernovae with material from the He/C zone. The lack of any 54Fe excesses is puzzling in view of the fact that the Si/S zone, whose contribution resulted in the 28Si excesses in X grains, is very rich in 54Fe. It has yet to be seen whether elemental fractionation between Si and Fe is an explanation. The 57Fe deficits observed in a few X grains remain unexplained. In comparison to the X grains, fewer mainstream and AB grains have anomalies. Observed 62Ni excesses in some mainstream grains are larger than predicted for AGB stars of solar metallicity and are not accompanied by corresponding 61Ni excesses. A Y grain and a Z grain have excesses in 54Fe and 62Ni, but close to normal 57Fe/56Fe and 60,61Ni/58Ni ratios. These isotopic compositions are not expected for grains from low-metallicity AGB stars

Automated NanoSIMS Measurements of Spinel Stardust from the Murray Meteorite

We report new O isotopic data on 41 presolar oxide grains, 38 MgAl2O4 (spinel) and 3 Al2O3 from the CM2 meteorite Murray, identified with a recently developed automated measurement system for the NanoSIMS. We have also obtained Mg-Al isotopic results on 29 of the same grains (26 spinel and 3 Al2O3). The majority of the grains have O isotopic compositions typical of most presolar oxides, fall well into the four previously defined groups, and are most likely condensates from either red giant branch or asymptotic giant branch stars. We have also discovered several grains with more unusual O and Mg compositions suggesting formation in extreme astrophysical environments, such as novae and supernovae. One of these grains has massive enrichments in 17O, 25Mg, and 26Mg, which are isotopic signatures indicative of condensation from nova ejecta. Two grains of supernova origin were also discovered: one has a large 18O/16O ratio typical of Group 4 presolar oxides; another grain is substantially enriched in 16O, and also contains radiogenic 44Ca from the decay of 44Ti, a likely condensate from material originating in the O-rich inner zones of a Type II supernova. In addition, several Group 2 presolar spinel grains also have large 25Mg and 26Mg isotopic anomalies that are difficult to explain by standard nucleosynthesis in low-mass stars. Auger elemental spectral analyses were performed on the grains and qualitatively suggest that presolar spinel may not have higher-than- stoichiometric Al/Mg ratios, in contrast to SIMS results obtained here and reported previously.Comment: 58 pages, 10 figures, 1 table, published in Ap

New stellar sources for high-density, presolar graphite grains

WepresentC,N,O,Si,Al-Mg,K,Ca,andTiisotopicanalyses ofsevenhigh-density(ORG1f, � � 2:02 2:04 gcm � 3 ) graphite grains from Orgueil with 12 C/ 13 C ratios smaller than 20. The presence of 44Ti in three of these grains indicates an origin in Type II supernovae (SNe). The 13 C excesses in these SNe grains, however, remain enigmatic. The remaining grains have extremely large Ca and Ti isotopic anomalies, some of which are much larger than those predicted for envelopes of asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars. These anomalies in conjunction with low 12 C/ 13 C ratios can only be explained by pure nucleosynthetic He-shell components of AGB stars. Born-again AGB stars that experience a late He flash are able to explain the low 12 C/ 13 C ratios of some of the grains along with the presence of extreme enrichments in the Ca and Ti isotopes. This study indicates that high-density graphite grains havemultiple stellar sources: SNe and born-again AGB stars, in addition to the previously established low-metallicity AGB stars. Subject headingg dust, extinction — meteors, meteoroids — nuclear reactions, nucleosynthesis, abundances — stars: abundances — stars: AGB and post-AGB — supernovae: genera

Aluminum-, Calcium- And Titanium-Rich Oxide Stardust In Ordinary Chondrite Meteorites

We report isotopic data for a total of 96 presolar oxide grains found in residues of several unequilibrated ordinary chondrite meteorites. Identified grain types include Al2O3, MgAl2O4, hibonite (CaAl12O19) and Ti oxide. This work greatly increases the presolar hibonite database, and is the first report of presolar Ti oxide. O-isotopic compositions of the grains span previously observed ranges and indicate an origin in red giant and asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars of low mass (<2.5 MSun) for most grains. Cool bottom processing in the parent AGB stars is required to explain isotopic compositions of many grains. Potassium-41 enrichments in hibonite grains are attributable to in situ decay of now-extinct 41Ca. Inferred initial 41Ca/40Ca ratios are in good agreement with model predictions for low-mass AGB star envelopes, provided that ionization suppresses 41Ca decay. Stable Mg and Ca isotopic ratios of most of the hibonite grains reflect primarily the initial compositions of the parent stars and are generally consistent with expectations for Galactic chemical evolution, but require some local interstellar chemical inhomogeneity. Very high 17O/16O or 25Mg/24Mg ratios suggest an origin for some grains in binary star systems where mass transfer from an evolved companion has altered the parent star compositions. A supernova origin for the hitherto enigmatic 18O-rich Group 4 grains is strongly supported by multi-element isotopic data for two grains. The Group 4 data are consistent with an origin in a single supernova in which variable amounts of material from the deep 16O-rich interior mixed with a unique end-member mixture of the outer layers. The Ti oxide grains primarily formed in low-mass AGB stars. They are smaller and rarer than presolar Al2O3, reflecting the lower abundance of Ti than Al in AGB envelopes.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ; 47 pages, 13 figure

The Imprint of Nova Nucleosynthesis in Presolar Grains

Infrared and ultraviolet observations of nova light curves have confirmed grain formation in their expanding shells that are ejected into the interstellar medium by a thermonuclear runaway. In this paper, we present isotopic ratios of intermediate-mass elements up to silicon for the ejecta of CO and ONe novae, based on 20 hydrodynamic models of nova explosions. These theoretical estimates will help to properly identify nova grains in primitive meteorites. In addition, equilibrium condensation calculations are used to predict the types of grains that can be expected in the nova ejecta, providing some hints on the puzzling formation of C-rich dust in O>C environments. These results show that SiC grains can condense in ONe novae, in concert with an inferred (ONe) nova origin for several presolar SiC grains.Comment: 42 pages. Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journa

Presolar Grains from Novae

We report the discovery of five SiC grains and one graphite grain isolated from the Murchison carbonaceous meteorite whose major-element isotopic compositions indicate an origin in nova explosions. The grains are characterized by low 12C/13C (4-9) and 14N/15N (5-20) ratios, large excesses in 30Si (30Si/28Si ratios range to 2.1 times solar) and high 26Al/27Al ratios. These isotopic signatures are theoretically predicted for the ejecta from ONe novae and cannot be matched by any other stellar sources. Previous studies of presolar grains from primitive meteorites have shown that the vast majority formed in red giant outflows and supernova ejecta. Although a classical nova origin was suggested for a few presolar graphite grains on the basis of 22Ne enrichments, this identification is somewhat ambiguous since it is based only on one trace element. Our present study presents the first evidence for nova grains on the basis of major element isotopic compositions of single grains. We also present the results of nucleosynthetic calculations of classical nova models and compare the predicted isotopic ratios with those of the grains. The comparison points toward massive ONe novae if the ejecta are mixed with material of close-to-solar composition.Comment: 20 pages, 5 figures, 1 table. ApJ, in pres